Early career attorneys practicing in rural Ohio are now eligible for student loan relief thanks to a new state program.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education announced Thursday that newly licensed attorneys working in rural communities can apply for student loan repayment as part of the Rural Practice Incentive Program.
“This program is meant to address an overall lack of legal representation in rural Ohio,” Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Mike Duffey said. “It is a win-win not only for those newly licensed attorneys who have loans to repay, but also those communities where their expertise is most needed.”
A majority of lawyers in Ohio — 75% to be exact — practice in the state’s seven largest counties, according to Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy. That leaves more than half of Ohioans with too few attorneys to meet their legal needs.
“Every Ohioan should have access to justice,” Kennedy said. “Working together, we will close the gap in legal services in Ohio.”
Attorneys licensed for eight years or less who are employed by the state public defender, a county prosecuting attorney, a county public defender commission or a joint county public defender commission to represent low-income clients in areas designated as underserved communities are eligible for the program.
Loan repayment is also available for attorneys who work as counsel appointed by the court or selected by a low-income person (provided they work in an underserved community for a minimum of 520 hours a year), as well as students enrolled in their final year of law school and attorneys who have been admitted to the practice of law in Ohio for fewer than eight years and are in good standing.
Program applicants must commit to a minimum of three years of service and can request to work for up to five years. Those chosen to participate will receive loan repayment up to $10,000 a year for a total of at least $30,000.
Applicants must be a citizen, national or permanent resident of the United States and cannot be enrolled in any other state or federally funded student loan repayment or debt forgiveness program.
Applications are due by March 15. More information on the program and applications can be found at highered.ohio.gov/rural-practice.
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
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